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Adeptus Custodes Specific Strategies
Blood Angels Specific Strategies
RULES / POINTS VERSION:
10th Edition, 2025 – 2026 Chapter Approved
March 2026 Balanced Dataslate and MFM Points Update
MATCHUP:
| Faction: | Detachment: |
| Adeptus Custodes | Lions of the Emperor |
| VS | |
| Faction: | Detachment: |
| Blood Angels | Rage-Cursed Onslaught |
MISSION:
| GW Mission | A |
| Primary | Take & Hold |
| Terrain Layout | GW Terrain Layout 1 |
| Deployment | Tipping Point |
LISTS:
Adeptus Custodes:
List
Adeptus Custodes
Lions of the Emperor
Strike Force (2,000 Points)
CHARACTERS
Blade Champion (120 Points)
• 1x Vaultswords
Shield-Captain in Allarus Terminator Armour (155 Points)
• 1x Balistus grenade launcher
• 1x Guardian spear
• Enhancements: Superior Creation
Shield-Captain in Allarus Terminator Armour (155 Points)
• 1x Balistus grenade launcher
• 1x Guardian spear
• Enhancements: Praesidius
Shield-Captain on Dawneagle Jetbike (160 Points)
• 1x Interceptor lance
• 1x Salvo launcher
• Enhancements: Admonimortis
Trajann Valoris (140 Points)
• Warlord
• 1x Eagle’s Scream
• 1x Watcher’s Axe
Valerian (110 Points)
• 1x Gnosis
OTHER DATASHEETS
Caladius Grav-tank (215 Points)
• 1x Armoured hull
• 1x Twin arachnus heavy blaze cannon
• 1x Twin lastrum bolt cannon
Caladius Grav-tank (215 Points)
• 1x Armoured hull
• 1x Twin arachnus heavy blaze cannon
• 1x Twin lastrum bolt cannon
Custodian Wardens (210 Points)
• 4x Custodian Warden
◦ 4x Guardian spear
◦ 1x Vexilla
Custodian Wardens (210 Points)
• 4x Custodian Warden
◦ 4x Guardian spear
◦ 1x Vexilla
Custodian Wardens (210 Points)
• 4x Custodian Warden
◦ 4x Guardian spear
◦ 1x Vexilla
Prosecutors (50 Points)
• 1x Prosecutor Sister Superior
◦ 1x Boltgun
◦ 1x Close combat weapon
• 4x Prosecutor
◦ 4x Boltgun
◦ 4x Close combat weapon
Witchseekers (45 Points)
• 1x Witchseeker Sister Superior
◦ 1x Close combat weapon
◦ 1x Witchseeker flamer
• 3x Witchseeker
◦ 3x Close combat weapon
◦ 3x Witchseeker flamer
Blood Angels:
List
Space Marines
Blood Angels
Rage-cursed Onslaught
Strike Force (2,000 Points)
CHARACTERS
Captain with Jump Pack (100 Points)
• 1x Plasma pistol
• 1x Power fist
• Enhancements: Master of the Red Thirst
Captain with Jump Pack (100 Points)
• 1x Plasma pistol
• 1x Power fist
• Enhancements: Angel’s Fang
Chaplain with Jump Pack (75 Points)
• 1x Crozius arcanum
• 1x Inferno pistol
Chaplain with Jump Pack (75 Points)
• 1x Crozius arcanum
• 1x Inferno pistol
Commander Dante (120 Points)
• Warlord
• 1x Perdition Pistol
• 1x The Axe Mortalis
Lemartes (100 Points)
• 1x Absolvor bolt pistol
• 1x The Blood Crozius
BATTLELINE
Intercessor Squad (80 Points)
• 1x Intercessor Sergeant
◦ 1x Astartes grenade launcher
◦ 1x Bolt pistol
◦ 1x Bolt rifle
◦ 1x Power fist
• 4x Intercessor
◦ 4x Bolt pistol
◦ 4x Bolt rifle
◦ 4x Close combat weapon
OTHER DATASHEETS
Death Company Dreadnought (160 Points)
• 1x Blood talons
• 1x Twin Icarus ironhail heavy stubber
• 1x Twin multi-melta
Death Company Dreadnought (160 Points)
• 1x Blood talons
• 1x Twin Icarus ironhail heavy stubber
• 1x Twin multi-melta
Death Company Marines with Jump Packs (230 Points)
• 10x Death Company Marine with Jump Packs
◦ 6x Astartes chainsword
◦ 2x Eviscerator
◦ 6x Heavy bolt pistol
◦ 2x Inferno pistol
◦ 2x Plasma pistol
◦ 2x Power fist
Death Company Marines with Jump Packs (120 Points)
• 5x Death Company Marine with Jump Packs
◦ 2x Astartes chainsword
◦ 1x Eviscerator
◦ 3x Heavy bolt pistol
◦ 1x Inferno pistol
◦ 1x Plasma pistol
◦ 2x Power fist
Death Company Marines with Jump Packs (120 Points)
• 5x Death Company Marine with Jump Packs
◦ 2x Astartes chainsword
◦ 1x Eviscerator
◦ 3x Heavy bolt pistol
◦ 1x Inferno pistol
◦ 1x Plasma pistol
◦ 2x Power fist
Sanguinary Guard (125 Points)
• 3x Sanguinary Guard
◦ 2x Angelus boltgun
◦ 3x Encarmine spear
◦ 1x Inferno pistol
◦ 1x Sanguinary Banner
Sanguinary Guard (125 Points)
• 3x Sanguinary Guard
◦ 2x Angelus boltgun
◦ 3x Encarmine spear
◦ 1x Inferno pistol
◦ 1x Sanguinary Banner
Sanguinary Guard (125 Points)
• 3x Sanguinary Guard
◦ 2x Angelus boltgun
◦ 3x Encarmine spear
◦ 1x Inferno pistol
◦ 1x Sanguinary Banner
Scout Squad (70 Points)
• 1x Scout Sergeant
◦ 1x Astartes chainsword
◦ 1x Bolt pistol
◦ 1x Close combat weapon
• 4x Scout
◦ 4x Bolt pistol
◦ 4x Boltgun
◦ 4x Close combat weapon
ALLIED UNITS
Callidus Assassin (100 Points)
• 1x Neural shredder
• 1x Phase sword and poison blades
FACTION SPECIFIC STRATEGIES:
Adeptus Custodes: This detachment has been my favorite way to play Custodes in 10th Edition. It’s not the current meta choice, but I’ve tried playing Custodes Guards spam and did not enjoy it. It just felt wrong. This list and detachment rules suit me much better and, while they have been overcome quite a bit by end of edition power creep, I find them way more enjoyable to play. They just seem to align with how I naturally want to play the game with Custodes.
The list is simple, but can be brutal. The idea is to rush the 3 Warden bricks up the board while peppering the opponent with ranged shooting from the Caladius tanks. Ideally, the opponent gets one round to activate before the Custodes are on top of them in melee. The Allarus Captains then Deep Strike in to sit on Objectives or threaten the opponent’s Deployment Zone (DZ) while the Jet Bike Captain is used as a second wave pressure piece to smash anything that the Wardens miss.
Win Condition: This game is going to be all about timing for the Custodes. They’ll need to either set it up so that they are the ones who Charge the Blood Angels or try to time it up so that their activation of the Wardens’ Living Fortress ability to get a one phase 4+ Feel No Pain aligns with the Blood Angels’ “go turn”. They’ll also need to spread out enough to get their detachment rules while also ensuring that the Blood Angels don’t get behind them, as the Blood Angels have a significant movement advantage. This won’t be easy and whether or not they are able to do it effectively could decide the game.
What I Want to Work On This Game: My timing with the Wardens’ Feel No Pain ability and staying disciplined in my board control. I don’t think the Custodes have a path to blowing out the Blood Angels, but do have a path to victory if they stay disciplined and can manage the game tempo.
| Category | Description |
| Leader / Bodyguard Combos: | Trajann Valoris with 4 Custodes Wardens |
| Blade Champion with 4 Custodes Wardens | |
| Valerian with 4 Custodes Wardens | |
| Transport / Infantry Combos: | None |
| Strategic Reserves: | Both Allarus Shield Captains |
| Key Strategems: | Gilded Champion – Used in Any Phase once a Character from your army uses their “once per battle” data sheet ability to allow that Character to use it one more time. Can only be used once per battle per character. |
| Manoeuvre and Fire – Used in your Movement Phase after a unit Falls Back to give that unit the ability to Shoot and Charge. | |
| Defiant to the Last – Used in the Fight Phase to give a unit Fight On Death on a 4+, that goes to a 2+ if the model has the “Character” keyword. | |
| Key Combos: | Any of the Shield Captains + Strategic Mastery ability + Gilded Champion Used to “re-rack” their once per game ability for 0 CP once per game. This is very powerful if you can stagger the use of across multiple rounds as “Strategic Mastery” comes with the caveat that it can only be used once per round. |
Blood Angels:
Yet another new-ish detachment that I am excited to try out. The detachment reads almost like it was written for World Eaters, but with more keyword restrictions on the stratagems, which is annoying but probably also needed because it looks very strong.
From a list perspective, I’m basically running “oops all jump packs and +1 to Wound” the army. It has 3 units of Death Company with Jump Packs, 3 units of Sanguinary Guard, jump pack characters to lead them all, and 2 Death Company Dreadnoughts. I probably will need to add in some more tech pieces to do actions and sit on objectives, but I wanted to start with this list because it gives me a chance to play all of my favorite Blood Angel unique models.
From a play pattern perspective, the idea is to put the Death Company Dreadnoughts out first to rush the opponent. If the opponent sits back and tries to shoot them, it gives me a chance to try to jail them. If the opponent comes out to engage and stop them, then I can start counter charging with all of my Infantry units. The Scouts and Intercessors are then there to do Secondaries and sit on primary points. Lastly the Callidus is there to do actions while also providing a Vect aura to protect me from any untimely uses of Heroic Intervention or Counter Offensive from the enemy during my “go turn”.
Win Condition: This one is tough because Custodes also really want to be in melee combat and the potential of the Wardens’ 4+ Feel No Pain timed to match my Blood Angels’ “go turn” is such a wild card. Also, Custodes has the 2 Allarus Shield Captains and the Jet Bike Shield Captain who could sneak in behind the Blood Angels if I am too aggressive. This will be interesting because both armies kind of want to do the same thing from a game perspective. It’s just that Blood Angels are faster, while Custodes are tougher. Based on that, I think the win condition is to trust the Blood Angels’ speed advantage by trying to force the Custodes to bunch up to negate their detachment rules. I can then try to Charge each Warden unit with multiple units to take them down 1 at a time.
What I Want to Work On This Game: I want to refine my list and figure out which units to use my stratagems on. This is my first go round with this list, and I am playing against another that I have a lot of reps with, so there is going to be a lot of learning going on.
| Category | Description |
| Warlord | Commander Dante |
| Leader / Bodyguard Combos | Commander Dante with 3 Sanguinary Guard |
| 2 x Captain with Jump Pack with 3 Sanguinary Guard | |
| 2 x Chaplain with Jump Pack with Death Company with 5 Jump Packs | |
| Lemartes with 10 Death Company with Jet Packs | |
| Transport / Unit Combinations: | N/A |
| Strategic Reserves: | 2 x Captain with Sanguinary Guard |
| Key Stratagems: | A Grim Warning – Used in Any Phase on any Blood Angels unit that was just destroyed on an Objective that you controlled to make “sticky” that Objective. |
| Red Thirst – Used in your Movement Phase just after a unit from your army Advances to give it Advance & Charge. You can also choose to become Battle Shocked for Advance & Shoot as well. | |
| Insensate Rampage – Used in your opponent’s Shooting or the Fights Phase to give one Death Company unit a 5+ Feel No Pain. | |
| Deathless Duty – Used in the Fight Phase to give one Death Company unit from your army the ability to Fight on death. | |
| Limb From Limb – Used in the Fight Phase to give one unit from your army that just Charged to add 1 to either the Strength or AP of melee weapons in that unit. You can also choose to become Battle Shocked to increase both Strength and AP by 1. | |
| Key Combos | Lemartes + Guardian of the Lost ability + 10 Death Company with Jump Packs + Insensate Rampage stratagem OR Deathless Duty Stratagem This is used to create a mini Death Star unit that appears on paper to be very tough to destroy as it reduces incoming Damage by 1 and has access to a 5+ Feel No Pain or Fight on Death, or both if you have 3 CP, which seems overkill. |
| Death Company Dreadnoughts + Armour of Contempt stratagem + Benefits of Cover + Insensate Rampage stratagem + Driven By Fury ability Another expensive one, but this combo gives you a unit that is Toughness 10, Saves on 2+, with -2 to incoming AP, and a 5+ Feel No Pain. To cap it off, once per turn it can make a Surge Move of D6 + 2 inches if it is hit by ranged attacks. |
ROUND-BY-ROUND RECAP:
The game starts with Custodes winning the roll off and choosing to have the Blood Angels deploy first, as they really want to try to get shots on the Death Company Dreadnoughts (DC Dreads) if they go first.
The Blood Angels deploy in a way that hints that they want to press the center and Objective 3, while also trying to hide their DC Dreads as much as possible. Most of their jump pack units are staged behind terrain but within Charge distance of Objectives while the Intercessors and Callidus screen their DZ. They also place the Scouts out in the midfield to potentially score early if they get first turn.
The Custodes follow a pretty standard deployment for this list. Since the Blood Angels have no long distance shooting to fear, they park their Calladius’s in shooting lanes while staging the Warden bricks to threaten each Objective. Their goal is to spread out and press the entire board.
Blood Angels then wins the roll off to go first and makes their Scout move. The board state at the start of the battle is below.
Board State: Start of the Battle
ROUND 1:
| Phase: | Go First: Blood Angels |
| Score at Start | 10 |
| Command | -Draw Cleanse and Recover Assets for Secondaries -Intercessors sticky Objective 2 -Oath of Moment on Jet Bike Shield Captain |
| Movement | -DC Dread 1 moves to Objective 4 -Lemartes + Death Company move up to stage and keep Lemartes within 12 inches of DC Dread 1 so that it can Cleanse -DC Dread 2 stages behind terrain but within 12 inches of Chaplain 1 -Scouts scoot back on Objective 3 to barely be on it -Dante + Sanguinary Guard move up to setup a potential Round 2 Charge |
| Shooting | -DC Dread 1 and Scouts Cleanse for 5 VP -DC Dread 2 and Intercessors Recover Assets for 3 VP |
| Charge | -None |
| Fight | -None |
| End of Turn | -Score 8 on Secondaries |
| Score at End | 18 |
Quiet first turn for Blood Angels as they focus mostly on positioning and doing actions to get a lot of points on the board. There is a worry that DC Dread 1 may die next turn, but let’s see. The board state in the middle of Round 1 is shown below.
Board State: Middle of Round 1
| Phase: | Go Second: Custodes |
| Score at Start | 10 |
| Command | -Draw Overwhelming Force and Engage On All Fronts for Secondaries |
| Movement | -Witchseekers Advance to Objective 5 -Caladius 2 inches out to Shoot DC Dread 1 -Blade Champ + Wardens Advance 5 inches to setup a Charge onto Objective 4 -Trajann + Wardens Advance 6 to stage behind terrain between Objectives 4 and 5 -Jet Bike Shield Captain moves to shoot onto Objective 3 |
| Shooting | -Caladius 2 does 8 Damage thru an Armour of Contempt stratagem use to DC Dread 1 -DC Dread 1 uses Driven By Fury ability and rolls a 6 to make a Surge Move into out of Line of Sight of Caladius 1 and into Engagement Range of the Blade Champ + Wardens -Jet Bike Captain whiffs into DC Dread 1 |
| Charge | -None |
| Fight | -Blade Champ + Wardens use Living Fortress ability for a phase long 4+ Feel No Pain -DC Dread 1 does 2 Damage to Blade Champ + Wardens -Blade Champ + Wardens choose Sustained and Victus weapons profile to kill DC Dread 1 for 3 VP |
| End of Turn | -Score 4 on Secondaries -Blood Angels use Acrobatic Escape ability to pickup Callidus |
| Score at End | 14 |
Well that was a big mistake by Custodes. They got sloppy with unit sequencing during their Shooting Phase and paid for it. Hindsight 20/20, they should have shot Caladius 1 first because Caladius 2 could still shoot even after DC Dread made a Surge Move. Instead, they lost a Caladius activation and, more importantly, had to burn their Living Fortress to keep the Blade Champ + Wardens up (and good thing they did because they used their FNP to block 7 Damage). The board state at the end of Round 1 is below.
Board State: End of Round 1
ROUND 2:
| Phase: | Go First: Blood Angels |
| Score at Start | 18 |
| Command | -Draw Engage On All Fronts and Overwhelming Force for Secondaries -Oath of Moment on Blade Champ + Wardens -Score 10 on Primary |
| Movement | -Dante + Sanguinary Guard use Red Wrath stratagem after Advancing 3 inches to setup a Charge into Blade Champ + Wardens -DC Dread 2 moves into terrain and onto Objective 3 -Chaplain 1 + Death Company move to stage in the midfield and to keep the Chaplain 1 within 12 inches of DC Dread 2 -Intercessors back up to screen their DZ -Callidus Deep Strikes behind terrain to project a Vect aura across Objectives 3 and 4 by using Lord of Deceit (aura) ability |
| Shooting | -DC Dread 2 pops off with meltas and kills Jet Bike Shield Captain thru a 0 CP re-roll |
| Charge | -Dante + Sanguinary Guard into Blade Champ + Wardens |
| Fight | -Dante uses Death Mask of Sanguinius ability but Blade Champ + Wardens pass Battle Shock test -Dante + Sanguinary Guard kill Wardens for 3 VP but leave the Blade Champ on 4 Wounds -Blade Champ chooses Sustained and Victus weapon profile to kill 1 Sanguinary Guard model |
| End of Turn | -Score 4 on Secondaries |
| Score at End | 32 |
Well that went better than expected for the Blood Angels. They came into the turn with a goal of killing the Wardens on Objective 4 and ended up doing that plus popping the Jet Bike Shield Captain. Custodes really would have liked to have had access to Living Fortress and its 4+ FNP that turn. Board state in the middle of Round 2 is below.
Board State: Middle of Round 2
| Phase: | Go Second: Custodes |
| Score at Start | 14 |
| Command | -Draw Behind Enemy Lines and A Tempting Target for Secondaries -Blood Angels choose Objective 3 as Tempting Target -Drop Behind Enemy Lines for No Prisoners -Score 10 on Primary |
| Movement | -Blade Champion Falls Back outside of Vect aura and uses Manoeuvre and Fire stratagem to enable him to Charge this turn -Trajann + Wardens setup a Charge onto Objective 4 -Caladius 1 moves to Objective 5 -Caladius 2 inches out to shoot DC Dread 2 -Valerian + Wardens stage behind terrain and between Objectives 4 and 5 -Witchseekers stage in terrain -Allarus Shield Captain 1 Deep Strikes near Objective 3 -Blood Angels Captain + Sanguinary Guard 1 uses Rites of Battle ability to Rapid Ingress for 0 CP into the Custodes’ DZ |
| Shooting | -Caladius 2 split fires and does 3 Damage into Armour of Contempt stratagem using DC Dread 2 and 1 Damage into Scouts -Valerian + Wardens whiff into Captain + Sanguinary Guard 1 -Allarus Shield Captain 1 whiffs into Scouts -Caladius 2 kills 2 models in Chaplain + Death Company 1 -Trajann + Wardens whiff into Dante + Sanguinary Guard |
| Charge | -Trajann + Wardens into Dante + Sanguinary Guard -Blade Champ into Dante + Sanguinary Guard -Allarus Shield Captain into Scouts |
| Fight | -Dante uses Death Mask of Sanguinius ability -Blade Champ fails Battle Shock -Trajann uses Moment Shackle ability to double his attacks and Dante + Sanguinary Guard tank all incoming attacks -Trajann uses Gilded Champion stratagem at 2CP, thanks to Callidus Vect, to re-rack Moment Shackle ability -Dante + Sanguinary Guard use Counter Offensive stratagem to interrupt and kill Blade Champ -Allarus Shield Captain kills 3 Scouts -Scouts do 1 Damage to Allarus Shield Captain |
| End of Turn | -Score 0 on Secondaries -Hold No Prisoners but drop A Tempting Target for 1 CP -Blood Angels pickup Callidus |
| Score at End | 24 |
Oof. That was……….statistically improbable. Not only did Trajann + Wardens roll a significant amount of 1’s and 2’s (and 3’s for the Wardens) to Wound into the Sanguinary Guard, but the Sanguinary Guard made 7 of 7 of their 4+ Invulnerable Saves. The Allarus Shield Captain 1 also rolled more than his fair share of 1’s and therefore failed to kill the Scouts. That turn did not go well at all and the Custodes may not be in trouble as they spent a lot of CP and exposed a lot of units for 0 VP. Board state at the end of Round 2 is below.
Board State: End of Round 2
ROUND 3:
| Phase: | Go First: Blood Angels |
| Score at Start | 32 |
| Command | -Draw Defend Stronghold and Storm Hostile Objective for Secondaries -Scouts fail Battle Shock -Oath of Moment on Prosecutors -Score 10 on Primary |
| Movement | -Chaplain + Death Company 1 and 2 move to Charge Allarus Shield Captain 1 -Dante + Sanguinary Guard Fall Back behind terrain -DC Dread 2 moves to Charge Caladius 2 -Lemartes + Death Company move to Charge Trajann + Wardens on Objective 4 -Intercessors move back onto Objective 2 to screen it out -Captain + Sanguinary Guard 1 move onto Objective 1 -Callidus Deep Strikes between Objectives 3 and 4 to project a Vector aura over Trajann + Wardens and Allarus Shield Captain 1 -Allarus Shield Captain 2 uses Strategic Mastery ability to Rapid Ingress for 0 CP into Blood Angels’ DZ |
| Shooting | -DC Dread 2 does 6 Damage to Caladius 2 -Captain + Sanguinary Guard 1 kill 2 models in Prosecutors -Lemartes + Death Company kill 1 Warden with Trajann -Intercessors whiff into Allarus Shield Captain 2 |
| Charge | -Lemartes + Death Company into Trajann + Wardens -Captain 1 + Sanguinary Guard into Prosecutors -DC Dread 2 into Caladius 2 -Chaplain + Death Company 1 and 2 into Allarus Shield Captain 1 |
| Fight | -Trajann + Wardens use Living Fortress ability for 4+ Feel No Pain -Trajann activates Moment Shackle ability to double attacks -Allarus Shield Captain 1 activates Auramite and Adamantine ability to change all incoming Damage to 1 -Trajann + Wardens use Defiant to the Last stratagem for 2 CP for 2+ Fight on Death -Lemartes + Death Company kill Wardens and do 1 Damage to Trajann -2 Wardens are able to Fight on Death -Chaplain 1 Fails Exhortation of Rage ability -Chaplain + Death Company 1 do 5 Damage to Allarus Shield Captain 1 -Chaplain 2 Fails Exhortation of Rage ability -Chaplain + Death Company 2 kill Allarus Shield Captain 1 -Allarus Shield Captain 1 uses Superior Creation enhancement to stand back up at full wounds at the end of the turn -Captain + Sanguinary Guard 1 kill Prosecutors -DC Dread 2 does 6 Damage to Calladius 2 -Lemartes + Death Company use Insensate Rampage stratagem for a 5+ Feel No Pain -Wardens choose Sustained and do 1 Damage to Lemartes + Death Company but then Trajann goes off and kills 7 Death Company models -Caladius 2 chooses Lethal and does 1 Damage to DC Dread 2 |
| End of Turn | -Score 4 on Secondaries -Drop Defend Stronghold for 1 CP |
| Score at End | 46 |
There’s a mini “go turn” for the Blood Angels and another Warden unit is off the board. The Blood Angels had to pay dearly for it by losing almost an entire Death Company 10 man unit, but it will be worth it if they can take down Trajann next turn. They also now control the Custodes Home Objective and have denied the Custodes 5 points of primary next turn, which will widen the gap on the score board. Custodes will have to fight to stay relevant in this game as they are losing resources and units to score points quickly. Board state in the middle of Round 3 is below.
Board State: Middle of Round 3
| Phase: | Go Second: Custodes |
| Score at Start | 24 |
| Command | -Draw Bring It Down to go with No Prisoners for Secondaries -Score 5 on Primary |
| Movement | -Trajann Falls Back out of Vect aura range and uses Manoeuvre and Fire stratagem to be able to Shoot and Charge -Caladius 1 moves up to Shoot Lemartes + Death Company -Allarus Shield Captain 2 moves onto Objective 2 -Valerian + Wardens setup a round 4 Charge onto Objective 4 -Witchseekers try to hide for a Round 4 move onto Objective 4 or 5 -Blood Angels Rapid ingress Captain + Sanguinary Guard 2 into Custodes DZ near Objective 5 |
| Shooting | -Caladius 2 kills DC Dread 2 for 6 VP -Caladius 1 kills Death Company for 2 VP and does 3 Damage to Lemartes -Allarus Shield Captains 1 and 2 whiff -Trajann whiffs into Lemartes |
| Charge | -Trajann into Lemartes -Allarus Shield Captain 1 into Chaplain + Death Company 2 -Chaplain + Death Company 1 use Heroic Intervention stratagem to Charge Allarus Shield Captain 1 -Allarus Shield Captain 2 into Intercessors |
| Fight | -Trajann chooses Sustained and kills Lemartes for 1 VP -Allarus Shield Captain 2 uses Sustained to kill Intercessors -Allarus Shield Captain 1 chooses Sustained, low rolls, and kills 2 models in Chaplain + Death Company 2 -Chaplain 1 uses Exhortation of Rage to do 3 Mortal Wounds to Allarus Shield Captain 1 -Chaplain + Death Company 1 do 3 Damage to Allarus Shield Captain 1 -Chaplain 2 uses Exhortation of Rage to kill Allarus Shield Captain 1 |
| End of Turn | -Score 9 on Secondaries -Blood Angels pickup Callidus |
| Score at End | 38 |
That was finally a good turn for the Custodes. They cleared out the center of the board, took the Blood Angels’ Home Objective, and killed 2 critical units plus a scoring unit while also bleeding the Blood Angels of CP. Unfortunately, they are still behind on points and are about to eat a full Blood Angels “go turn”. If they can survive it, they will be OK. If not, well……..
Board state at the end of Round 3 is below.
Board State: End of Round 3
ROUND 4:
| Phase: | Go First: Blood Angels |
| Score at Start | 46 |
| Command | -Draw Secure Area Denial and Establish Locus for Secondaries -Pass all Battle Shock -Oath of Moment on Trajann -Score 10 on Primary |
| Movement | -Captain + Sanguinary Guard 2 to Objective 5 to Charge Caladius 1 -Captain + Sanguinary Guard 1 to Charge Valerian + Wardens -Chaplain + Death Company 1 to Charge Trajann on Objective 4 -Dante + Sanguinary Guard to Charge Trajann on Objective 4 -Scouts move into terrain while retaining control of Objective 3 -Callidus Deep Strikes onto Objective 1 |
| Shooting | -Callidus Establishes Locus for 4 VP -Chaplain + Death Company 1 use Grenade stratagem into Trajann for 1 Damage (Trajann FNP’s 2 Mortal Wounds) -Captain + Sanguinary Guard 2 kill 2 Witchseekers -All others whiff |
| Charge | -Captain + Sanguinary Guard 1 into Valerian + Wardens to shut down a Heroic Intervention -Captain + Sanguinary Guard 2 into Caladius 1 -Chaplain + Death Company 2 into Caladius 2 -Chaplain + Death Company 1 into Trajann -Dante + Sanguinary Guard into Trajann |
| Fight | -Dante causes Trajann to fail Battle Shock -Valerian + Wardens use Living Fortress ability to activate their 4+ Feel No Pain -Captain + Sanguinary Guard 1 use Limb From Limb stratagem to Battle Shock and do 5 Damage into Valerian + Wardens -Chaplain 1 uses Exhortation of Rage to do 1 Mortal Wound to Trajann -Chaplain + Death Company 1 kill Trajann -Chaplain + Death Company 2 kill Caladius 2 and Consolidate back onto Objective 3 -Captain + Sanguinary Guard 2 do 8 Damage to Caladius 1 -Valerian + Wardens use Peerless Warrior stratagem to gain Precision and kill Captain 1 + 1 Sanguinary Guard model -Caladius 1 chooses Lethals and whiffs |
| End of Turn | -Score 9 on Secondaries |
| Score at End | 65 |
And that is the backbreaker for this game. Technically Valerian + Wardens and 1 Caladius tank are still up and functional, but they aren’t going to claw back the points and board space that the Blood Angels gained that turn. Board state in the middle of Round 4 is below.
Board State: Middle of Round 4
| Phase: | Go Second: Custodes |
| Score at Start | 38 |
| Command | -Draw Cleanse and Extend Battle Lines for Secondaries -Drop Extend Battle Lines for Assassination -Pass all Battle Shock -Score 5 on Primary |
| Movement | -Valerian + Wardens Fall Back to Objective 5 and use Manoeuvre and Fire stratagem to be able to Shoot and Charge -Witchseekers bravely run away from the carnage around Objectives 4 and 5 |
| Shooting | -Allarus Shield Captain 2 Cleanses Objective 2 for 2 VP -Caladius 1 kills 1 Sanguinary Guard and does 2 Damage to another -Valerian + Wardens whiff |
| Charge | -Valerian + Wardens into Captain + Sanguinary Guard 2 |
| Fight | -Valerian + Wardens choose Sustained and use Peerless Warrior stratagem for Precision and do 4 Damage into a Armour of Contempt using Captain + Sanguinary Guard 2, leaving the Captain alive on 1 Wound -Captain + Sanguinary Guard 2 kill 1 Warden model -Caladius 1 whiffs |
| End of Turn | -Score 2 on Secondaries -Blood Angels use Guerrilla Tactics ability to pickup Scouts |
| Score at End | 45 |
Sigh. This just isn’t Custodes day. They have made their mistakes, but it feels like even when they make good decisions, they are still coming up just a bit short. Case in point, that Captain living on 1 Wound when they had Assassination as a Secondary. Board state at the end of Round 4 is below.
Board State: End of Round 4
ROUND 5:
| Phase: | Go First: Blood Angels |
| Score at Start | 65 |
| Command | -Draw Marked For Death and Behind Enemy Lines for Secondaries -Custodes mark Allarus Shield Captain 2, Caladius 1, and Valerian + Wardens -Blood Angels mark Witchseekers -Oath of Moment on Calladius 1 -Score 15 for Primary |
| Movement | -Dante + Sanguinary Guard, unled Sanguinary Guard, and Chaplain + Death Company 1 all move to Charge onto Objective 5 -Scouts deploy from Reserves into Custodes DZ |
| Shooting | -Dante kills Caladius 1 for 5 VP -Caladius 1 explodes, killing the Witchseekers, 1 Sanguinary Guard model from each nearby unit, and doing 1 Mortal Wound to all others nearby |
| Charge | -Dante + Sanguinary Guard into Valerian + Wardens -Chaplain + Death Company 1 fail, with a CP re-roll, into Valerian + Wardens -Unled Sanguinary Guard into Valerian + Wardens |
| Fight | -Dante + Sanguinary Guard use Limb From Limb stratagem to Battle Shock and kill Valerian + Wardens |
| End of Turn | -Score 9 on Secondaries |
| Score at End | 89 |
Welp. That one fits with how this game has gone. Dante “one taps” the Caladius in shooting of all phases, which explodes and clears the way for the Blood Angels to pile almost everything onto Objective 5. This game is now all but over. Custodes may get up to 14 points next turn, depending on how Secondary draws go, but they aren’t winning this game. Board state in the middle of Round 5 is below.
Board State: Middle of Round 5
| Phase: | Go Second: Custodes |
| Score at Start | 45 |
| Command | -Draw Establish Locus to go with Assassination for Secondaries -Drop Assassination for Marked For Death -It doesn’t matter what gets marked as that card is not being scored this turn |
| Movement | -None |
| Shooting | -Allarus Shield Captain Establishes Locus for 4 VP |
| Charge | -None |
| Fight | -None |
| End of Turn | -Score 4 on Secondaries -Score 5 on Primary |
| Score at End | 54 |
Final score for the game is 89-54 for the Blood Angels. Board state in the end of Round 5 is below.
Board State: End of Round 5
RESULT:
Singles Format: 89 – 54 Blood Angels WIN
WTC Teams Format: 16 – 4 Blood Angels WIN
GAME REVIEW:
While not as close as my past few games, that game was still fun to play. The Blood Angels list performed super well and I’m not sure I want to change anything at this point. I think I’ll just roll with it as is into the next game, which I want to play into more of a mixed arms or shooting army.
From a Custodes perspective, I think this game highlights one of the biggest weaknesses that they have right now, unless you are playing Talons’ Guard and Land Raider spam. They just aren’t tough enough to stand their ground this late in the edition and, when things start falling apart for them, they don’t have a way to flip the momentum of the game. I’m reminded of Steve’s revelation when we talked about managing the tempo of a game and I think the issue is that Custodes just don’t have a great way to tempo it unless they are always on the front foot or just roll hot (just make your 4+’s, how hard could it be?).
WHAT I WOULD CHANGE NEXT TIME:
- Blood Angels
- Not much at this point. I think I need more reps into different types of opponents to see where I would play this differently.
- Custodes
- Several mistakes to correct here, but the big ones were the Round 1 Shooting Phase mis-sequencing that cost them a round of Living Fortress and hanging the Jet Bike Shield Captain out to dry too early. Losing those cost them the chance to really spread out and got the Custodes on the back foot in a way that they never recovered from.
EARNED THEMSELF A NAME:
The Sanguinary Guard. Their -1 to Hit and -1 to Wound in melee abilities were brutal into the Custodes. Even when Trajann could ignore the Hit roll modifiers, the abilities still made a big difference. Seeing the Sanguinary Guard be tankier than the Wardens really messed with the Custodes and was a big difference in this game.
MAGNUS OF THE GAME:
Jet Bike Shield Captain. My man took the lack of Blood Angels Shooting for granted and paid for it with a double melta shot to the face. He did nothing all game, which is sad for such an expensive and cool unit.
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